Conservation action

HERITAGE IN WALES ISSUE 71 ISSUE 70 CONSERVATION ACTION Site development works to begin at the King’s Gate, Caernarfon Castle

An aerial view of Caernarfon Castle with the King's Gate in the foreground overlooking the town.

The inner ward of Caerphilly Castle.

Following the completion of enabling works at the end of September, Caernarfon Castle is fully prepared for the next stage of Cadw’s most ambitious and highly complex site development project to date.

Head of Conservation at Cadw, Chris Wilson, provides us with the latest update on this £4m project:

‘After twelve months of site preparation and conservation works, resulting in some fascinating archaeological finds, we are now ready to move onto phase two of the King’s Gate project at Caernarfon Castle. We submitted detailed plans to Gwynedd County Council at the end of August.

‘We’re now in a position to award the main contract for this second phase of development works to begin later this year — it won’t be long until I can share some fascinating visual site updates with you all. With the project due for completion during early 2022, it really is set to be an exciting year for Caernarfon.’

Planned works to enhance the on-site visitor experience include a new café, interactive virtual-reality experiences and the installation of a lift which will enable visitors to explore areas and vantage points of the UNESCO World Heritage Site that were out of reach before now — including the upper embattlements and windows that overlook the town.

Caerphilly Castle will benefit from improved visitor footpaths this winter

Throughout November and December 2020, the footpaths and site walkways at Caerphilly Castle will be reconfigured and resurfaced to improve and facilitate visitor access across the iconic site.

Cadw’s Senior Conservation Manager, Stephen Jones, gives some friendly advice on the planned walkway improvement works at Wales’s largest fortress:

‘If you are able to visit Caerphilly Castle during this period, don’t forget to bring suitable, hard-wearing footwear along with you to ensure a comfortable experience.’

It is likely that access to the inner ward will not be possible at certain times during construction. Please check the Cadw website for up-to-date information before booking your site-entry tickets — gov.wales/cadw